Taste ranking
The bowls were empty and clean after only 10 minutes! ☺
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The Cooking Process:
Cooking the quinoa: In a small pot I combined the quinoa, 1⅓ cups water, and some salt. Once it was boiling, I reduced the heat to medium low, covered, and cooked for about 15 minutes. I removed the pot from heat and set aside, keeping the pot covered.
Preparing the Ingredients: I have to say that everything Plated sent was very fresh and of a high quality. I was a bit disappointed with the small avocado they sent for this 2 serving kit – personally I would expect one avocado per serving. Firstly, I started by rinsing the black beans and halving the lime. I then cut the sweet potatoes and bell peppers into cubes. Next, I halved the tomatoes, transferred them to a small bowl and seasoned with olive oil, salt and black pepper and set aside to marinate until it was time to serve.
Roasting the Sweet Potatoes: On a baking sheet I tossed the sweet potatoes with the spice mix, chipotle powder, olive oil, salt and black pepper. I made sure these were in a single layer on the pan, to allow for even roasting. I roasted in a preheated oven for about 20 minutes at 425°F or until tender.
Sautéing the Vegetables: While the sweet potatoes were roasting, I heated some olive oil in a medium pan over a medium heat. When the oil was hot enough to be shimmering, I added the corn, black beans, and bell pepper and sautéed, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, then I seasoned with some salt and black pepper.
Making Avocado Dressing I halved the avocado and discarded the pit. Using a spoon, I carefully scooped out the flesh, discarding the skin. I thinly sliced half of the avocado and squeezed over the juice of ½ lime and set this aside for plating. In a blender or food processor, I combined half of the Chobani yogurt, juice of remaining lime, and remaining avocado. I pulsed until smooth, then seasoned with ⅛ teaspoon salt and black pepper as desired. (Save remaining yogurt for breakfast.)
Plating and serving – I divided the quinoa between two serving bowls and then added the roasted sweet potatoes, sautéed vegetables, tomatoes, and sliced avocado. I completed the dish by drizzling the avocado dressing over the bowls and then we enjoyed pure bowl bliss!
On a Personal Note:
I started by preparing all the vegetables. The result was really tasty and felt lovely and healthy. It was a simple dish, certainly not a recipe that required any involved techniques, but sometimes that is just what you need!
Even though this dish contained no meat, the beans and quinoa provided a healthy amount of protein. So, it is a great choice for vegetarians. The seasoning of the sweet potatoes was quite interesting, but delicious and it certainly added to the overall flavor of the dish. I am a big avocado fan, so I would personally have preferred to see more avocado in this dish.
